Monroeville Jazz Festival

Monroeville Jazz Festival is Now Part of the Monroeville Foundation

The Monroeville Foundation is excited to continue the tradition of the Monroeville Jazz Festival. With the support of the community and local businesses, we look forward to making this event bigger and better.

Thanks to its founder, Chuck Summerville, the annual Monroeville Jazz Festival has become a part of the Monroeville cultural community. Due to Chuck’s retirement, the Monroeville Foundation will assume the role that Mr. Summerville performed so well for so many years, that of producing and facilitating this wonderful event. Chuck has made the Jazz Festival a part of Monroeville’s heritage and the Monroeville Foundation would like to maintain and expand on that heritage.

See Performance Videos from the 2018 Jazz Festival

Photos from the 2018 Jazz Festival

About the Jazz Festival

The mission of the Monroeville Jazz Festival is to encourage and promote jazz music for all ages, and to develop an appreciation of jazz music as a unique American Art form. We also strive to produce an annual Jazz Festival aimed at enriching the quality of life in Monroeville Pennsylvania.

2018 Monroeville Jazz Festival Artists

Funky Fly Project

The Funky Fly Project is a funk and jazz group out of Pittsburgh, PA consisting of Winston Bell, Henry Schultz, Brandon Terry, and Eric Dowdell Jr. A powerful combination of skill and virtuosic playing, you would never know by listening that each member of the project is less than seventeen years old. Developing a sound well beyond their age, the quartet fuse classic jazz styles with contemporary funk to create a unique sound that leaves listeners in awe.

Yoko Suzuki Trio

Yoko Suzuki is an alto saxophonist, a composer and scholar working in Pittsburgh and New York City. She started to take classical piano lessons at the age of six and continued on until graduating from high school. Currently, she teaches jazz history, jazz arranging, and jazz ensemble at the University of Pittsburgh.

Jevon Rushton

performing with Stacia Abbott

Along with explosive power, blinding speed, complex rhythms and time signatures, Jevon brings a rare and unique sense of elegance, chilled composure, and gritty groove to his music. His artistic ingenuity expresses itself in his incomparable technique, sweltering sense of swing, and an extraordinary ability to imbue his music with poise and grace. Jevon can be heard playing on a plethora of recordings.

Emmet Cohen

A recognized prodigy, Emmet Cohen began Suzuki method piano instruction at age three, and his playing quickly became a mature melding of musicality, technique and concept. Cohen believes that “jazz is about communicating the deepest level of humanity and individuality; it’s essentially about connections – both among musicians and audiences.”

FAQs

FREE ADMISSION: Not only is there no charge for the event – parking is also FREE –thanks to the generous support from our sponsors.

Is there handicap parking and access?

Yes. We reserve the paved parking area to the right of the amphitheater for handicapped patrons. There is also a sidewalk ramp that allows access to the front of the stage area.

How long is the program?

This year’s festival will feature 4 well known regional and national artists: the first performance will begin at 2:30 pm and last for approximately 60 minutes. The second performance will also be 60 minutes – followed by a 30 minute intermission.